Trawler Blogs

Great Loop II Date: 9/27/2014

Day # 58 (Saturday): 49 miles (1661 total miles)

Locks: 2 (12 total locks)

Port #28: Grand Rivers, KY

Marina: Green Turtle Bay Marina

The crew had a wonderful night’s sleep. The Admiral (PSR) was up at 4:45AM, the coffee was perking and it was time to check with the Lockmaster at Lock 52 about locking through. The same Lockmaster was on duty. He wanted to know if he kept the waters quiet enough for a good sleep. I laughed and thanked him for the peaceful night. He invited us to come on over, the lock was open. I asked if we could wait until daybreak so we could see the water better and he agreed.

Sunrise…the lights at Lock 52 are on the left.

At daybreak, anchors were hoisted and OB was underway with Infinite Sea falling in behind. The day crew was on duty by now but hadn’t had that first cup of coffee yet. I told the lockmaster as soon as we got to the top of the lock, he’d have a cup of Starbucks in his hand. He was more than happy to get the locking process underway. At the top, I handed him a cup of Starbucks fresh from our thermos.

Lock 52 awaits!

Stephanie on Infinite Sea works her line.

Leaving Lock 52.

We cruised past Paducah and the entrance that would lead us to the Kentucky Dam. With new adventure planned, Todd and I decided pass up our previous route and take the Cumberland River to Barkley Dam and Lake. This time we decided to stay at Green Turtle Bay Marina near Grand Rivers, KY.

Charlie found his spot.

Last look at the Ohio River.

Once in the Cumberland River, the landscape changed again. The river was narrower and seemed more serene. OB was still pushing her way against the current.

The banks of the Cumberland River.  Some fall colors were beginning to show there.

The Barkley Lock…the lift was 53 feet.

Green Turtle Bay was just around the corner from the dam. After some shuffling, the staff had us in our dock. Infinite Sea made reservations for the four of us at the Yacht Club for dinner. We were all glad to celebrate getting OB into the port where her repairs would be made. Infinite Sea would be moving on toward Joe Wheeler and the AGLCA Fall Rendezvous in a few days. We would stay put until our props were repaired and until we saw our daughter-in-law, Brigette, and our twin granddaughters, McKenzie and Madison.

Sunset the first night after arrival.

OB’s home for 8 days while her props were fixed.

Looper food-in and celebration for a couple who had just crossed their wake, earned their Gold Looper flag and BaccaLooperate Degree.

No trip to Green Turtle Bay is complete without a trip to Patty’s in Grand Rivers.

That is their Tropical Pork Tenderloin with roasted mixed vegetables.  The left overs made a full meal the next day!

Waiting for OB…

The truth is about to be known…

Chip and some bruising on the Port prop…

…and a little curl on another blade (Port prop).

Nice little curl on the Starboard prop…

…and some bruising…

…another curled blade (Starboard prop).

A little bottom paint was scraped off the keel (that long protrusion at the bottom of the boat…it’s supposed to be black but you can see some white fiberglass showing).

Another view of the keel.

OB’s props were back Thursday afternoon and put back on Friday morning. It was a busy day. Once OB was back in her dock, we picked up a rental car from Enterprise and drove to Greenville to visit Brigette, McKenzie and Madison.

GTBs towboat maneuvering OB into the lift.

OB’s props back from the shop in Iuka, MS.  They always look brand new!

That little thing just to the right of the prop on the shaft is a cutter.  It would cut any line or crab trap line that might try to tangle around the shaft and stop us dead in the water.

This photo shows the scissor like blade on the cutter.  There are actually two blades on the cutter…one is on the other side of the shaft but the prop is in the way.  They are very sharp and they work very well.  We’ve seen the results!  There is a cutter on each of OB’s shafts.

It was wonderful to see David and Brigette’s new home. They have done a lot of renovation with the landlord reimbursing them through breaks in their rental charge. We drove to a wonderful Mexican Restaurant in a town nearby, enjoyed a fantastic meal and had fun back at their home loving up the three of them before bedtime.

Love every chance we get to be with Brigette and our twins.  Just wish David could have been there.  He’s traveling a lot with his new job.

Grandma and her girls !!!

Grandpa and McKenzie having a little teenage chat time.

It’s fun when teenagers still like to cuddle.  The picture is McKenzie’s.  She’s a very good artist and wants to go into graphic design some day.

Todd and I stayed one more day at Green Turtle Bay to catch up some odds jobs on OB. Sunday we would be on our way down the Kentucky Lake and Land Between the Lakes.